The Last Picture Show (1971): Film Notes and Scores

Director:

Cast:

Poster artwork for The Last Picture Show — Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

The coming of age of a youth named Sonny in a small Texas town in the 1950s.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

In dying 1951 Anarene, Texas, friends Sonny Crawford and Duane Jackson move among high school, pool hall, football, sex, and the Royal movie theater. Their relationships with Jacy Farrow and older townspeople reveal limited futures and inherited loneliness.

Why it belongs

Peter Bogdanovich makes a town's decline intimate through black-and-white streets, country radio, empty businesses, and a multigenerational ensemble starved for connection.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Bogdanovich's black-and-white cinematography and production design give dust, pickup trucks, the pool hall, movie marquee, football field, Hank Williams songs, and long faces emotional geography—Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, and Cloris Leachman resist nostalgia.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20

Academy Awards2 wins1972 · official ceremony record ↗

Actor in a Supporting Role1972 · Ben Johnsonofficial ceremony record ↗Actress in a Supporting Role1972 · Cloris Leachmanofficial ceremony record ↗

Golden Globes1 win1972 · official film record ↗

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture1972 · Ben Johnsonofficial film record ↗

BAFTA3 wins1973 · official BAFTA 1973 Film Awards results ↗

Supporting Actor1973 · Ben Johnsonofficial BAFTA 1973 Film Awards results ↗Supporting Actress1973 · Cloris Leachmanofficial BAFTA 1973 Film Awards results ↗

Plus 1 additional win

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for

Film Club